Page 16 of Stuck on the Slopes

At that, I heard three knocks on my door. “That’s probably him. Take lots of pics for me, okay? And please let me know if you and Julie make out. I’ve been secretly hoping the two of you get together for months now.”

“I will! Have fun with your hot boss!”

I rolled my eyes as we hung up. I ditched the soda cans and my phone on the coffee table before letting Juniper in.

“Welcome to movie night!”

He gave me a crooked, closed-lipped smile. It looked forced, as if smiling brought him great pain. “Before you get too excited, Sasquatch is in bed already, so it’s just me.”

“Ah, no worries. I’ll cuddle him some other night.”

My sister had been right about what to wear since Juniper also dressed down. His gray-colored joggers were loose before they cinched at the ankles, just above a pair of thick wool socks. The faded charcoal and blue flannel he wore hung loosely on him, too. He’d tied his dark hair back in a messy bun; a few loose wisps of overgrown bangs framed his face. Despite being dressed for comfort, he was still handsome enough to take my breath away, and I employed the focus of a hawk in order to keep my eyes on his face rather than his crotch.

The door swung closed behind him, locking into place as I stepped aside to let him in. I walked backward as I led Juniper inside my suite, speaking with my hands. “Now, there are a few ground rules I gotta lay out.”

He cocked a brow. “There are rules to movie night?”

“Fun rules, I promise. Now, as this is an awful movie with fantastic comedic commentary, we don’t have to sit here all quiet. Riffing along is highly encouraged.”

“Talk shit about the movie. Got it.”

“The only other rule is that if you make fun of me for my snack habits, I will sue you for workplace harassment.”

Juniper scoffed as he looked at how I’d decorated my space. “How bad can it be?”

“Not bad at all, though I may be biased.”

“Time will tell, I guess,” he said. He pointed to a photo on the television stand. “Is this your family?”

“Yup! My parents, my biological sister, and my sorority little sister. Probably easy to guess which one is the biological one.”

“She looks a lot like you. Do you miss them?”

“A little, but we keep in touch. My sisters and I text and FaceTime a lot.”

“It’s nice that you have them.” If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he almost sounded wistful. “Good family’s hard to come by.”

“Well, if you need some, my parents basically adopt every stray they come across. Literally and figuratively. My dad always comes home from work with some stray cat to bring to the vet.”

“No wonder Sasquatch likes you so much. He can probably smell you come from a family of animal lovers.”

I laughed as I took my spot on the couch. “For all the cats he saves, my dad’s more of a dog guy. He would love Sasquatch. You know, they’re hoping to be the first ones to book once we open reservations so they can say they were legitimately first in line.”

A short exhale passed through his nose as the corner of his lips threatened to upturn. “That’s cute.” The tease of a smile faded as he winced when he walked over. Juniper was quick to mask his expression, and if I had blinked, I would have missed it.

“You okay?”

“Flare up. I’ll be fine.”

“Can I get you anything?”

He sat next to me, close enough to touch but far enough to maintain a respectable distance. “I took my meds before walking over, so I should be fine soon. Thanks, though.”

“Well, if you do, let me know. I have a heating pad and painkillers I’m more than willing to share.”

He looked at me and nodded. “Thanks. I may actually take you up on that heating pad.” He stood as he asked where it was.

“If you’re hurting, I can get it.”

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